Thursday, August 30, 2012

Britain's Wallabies

Nope, the wallaby is not indigenous to the wilds of Britain. But, it's there all the same!

I remember when growing up as a kid in Staffordshire, England that sightings would frequently be reported of wallabies on the loose - chiefly in the northern parts of the county, and up into parts of the Peak District, too. And, for a pre-teen Nick Redfern, they made for great and exciting reading!

Sadly, at least from those particular parts of the UK, there are far less reports today. But, there is still the occasional one or two. Other colonies in the UK appear to be doing far better, fortunately.

Of course, there's nothing remotely weird about the presence of the creatures: they (or, rather, the original ones) are simply escapees from zoos, private enclosures, etc that have managed to survive and - sometimes - thrive for decades.

But, it's still a fascinating bit of British culture and oddness. And long may the wallaby call the UK its home!

1 comment:

A lot of wallabies were kept on farms etc in the UK going back a few decades, and they made great farmers! Even so, once escaped/released very difficult to catch. Even so, from kent there have been numerous wallabies filmed and found dead - on occasion hit by cars. Interesting how people firmly belieev these marsupials exist and yet not exotic cats even though both species have gone the same route from being pets to now established species in the UK.